An Ulta Beauty shopper was pleasantly surprised when she discovered her store-branded credit card went further than she expected.
Elysa (@elysabee123) was trying to rent a car when she decided to hand her Ulta Beauty credit card over to the employee helping her. She recorded the interaction and posted to TikTok.
“Just literally thought it was a joke that I can use it to rent a car,” she wrote in a comment, “till it went through.”
It’s a short clip, but one that attracted a surprising amount of attention—over 75,200 people have viewed the TikTok.
@elysabee123 Im just a girl ✨
♬ original sound – Kardashian clips 🎬
Can you use store credit cards anywhere?
Whether or not you’ll be able to use a card to purchase items or services outside of the store it’s connected to depends on one key factor—what kind of card it is.
Looking more closely at Elysa’s card in the video, we can see the Mastercard symbol: overlapping red and orange circles. That’s because Ulta Beauty, like many retailers that offer credit cards, actually offers two different kinds. One of its cards is backed by Mastercard, while the other is meant for in-store use only. The differences between the two can be found on its website.
What’s the difference between a store card and a regular credit card?
Store credit cards are easier to get because they have more limitations. Both may come with perks specific to the store, like more reward points when you shop at the store itself. A traditional credit card has more versatility. It can be used anywhere the network backing it (such as Mastercard or Visa) is accepted.
If you apply for a credit card in-store, it’s important to know what the options are, and which one you’re aiming to get. It’s also good to be aware that sometimes, you may apply for a store’s traditional credit card but only be approved for the one meant to be used in the store itself.
In this specific scenario, Elysa’s Ulta Beauty credit card clearly paid off.
“And you still got points,” one viewer pointed out—one for every $3 spent on that rental car.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Elysa via TikTok comment and to Ulta via contact form.
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